Only when her face was painted, she was beautiful.

A girl, suffering from the insecurities of relying on beauty to make her happy, inhabited a dark castle with her mother. It was a given for her that if she was beautiful, she'd get a prince and like in every fairytale, she'd live a happily ever after. Shamed for even picking up one of the the endless array of books in the castle's library, Evie had made it her yearly goal to study the various princesses before her. The same attribute was evident in every story. Every princess was beautiful. Perfect rosy cheeks and lips, even hairline and eyebrows, large light colored eyes and a round and structured face. It was only when she turned 16 did she then explain her findings to that of the queen who once held the title of "The Fairest Of Them All."

"Mummy?" The young teen called for the woman she had spent solely the last 10 years with.

"My Evilette. Finally picked your head up from those dusty books. Fix your face before you speak to me" she said without regard to her daughter's already heavily made up face. Despite the insult, Evie stood behind her mother and dared to speak again.

"Mummy. All Princesses are beautiful. So beauty is the only way I will get a prince" Evie said in a whisper as she awaited what she wished to be a supportive reaction. Instead, the girl was met with a scoff as her mother shooed her away.

"Now go, child. That is what I have been telling you. That is why I have trained you to cover your face. Your natural beauty unfortunately is not sufficient enough. Make-up my dear is the key to success. Pretty things will get you far. But first, improve your blush. It is way to subtle. And the foundation you have been using is too cakey" Grimhilde said as she still didn't look up to her daughter. The blunette unconscious felt her cheeks as a lump grew inside her throat and her eyes began to water. Her mother couldn't even look her in the eyes anymore. The feeling of defeat and failure took over her as the insecurities began to gnaw at her heart. The memory would continue to sit as it did when it occurred. Even two years later in Auradon, things hadn't changed for Evie. She had found her niche in the fashion world and even in the scholarly community. She even found love in her relationship with her study buddy. But the pain of beauty still gnawed at her heart.

The two lovers were spending their Friday night working to meet orders for the upcoming Homecoming dance of their senior year. Evie sat at her desk sewing ruffles onto a sleeve of a dress as her mind was wandering elsewhere. Doug frequently looked up from his laptop, sitting across from her. He watched her sigh as she furrowed her brows every few minutes, staring at the garment. Even while upset, Evie still had an aura to her that Doug found so captivating. He stood up suddenly as she lifted her foot off of the machine, looking up.

"You okay?" He asked her, concern covering his face as she nodded and quickly smiled. She put pressure on the step as the machine continued. Doug frowned, turning to the window and watching the sun set and the moon rise. Students walked through the campus and the Tourney team left the field. His eyes wandered, but his thoughts were stuck on his Princess. He turned back around to meet her eyes. Her round face reminding him of the round ball of craters that was breaking though the sky. You're pretty like the moon, He thought as she smiled and once again they turned back to each of their own distractions. Evie was one who was determined and ever since her Chad fiasco, she's kept her guard up. Something that Doug wished she wouldn't do, especially in his presence. No one can get to you. That's lonely but it's true. You're pretty like the moon.

Folk songs and cigarettes. You're such a perfect mess. Evie always had a lack of confidence, Doug knew that, and at every opportunity he got, he'd boost her self esteem. She often thought of herself as a mess, something so much less than Auradon quality. She was a perfectionist and with every little mistake she made, she would curse herself. But as all people are, she's human. Everything she did made her more perfectly Evie. Those were the moments he helped her to embrace, yet she always seemed to disregard them. You seem so unimpressed.

He hated nights like these when he saw right through her feelings. With every glance, she seemed to fall apart. It wasn't for a few minutes later when she abruptly stopped the machine, a few stray tears sliding down her cheeks as she broke down. You smile when you're depressed. Doug was in shock. Never before had Evie ever let down her guard and just in this innocent moment, she was broken. He came to her side, immediately hugging her shoulders as she hid her face in her hands.

"I'm such a mess. I haven't been okay" She cried as Doug just held her close and let her cry in his arms. "I'm just an ugly mess. W-without makeup, I'm nothing. I don't know why you love me"

"Evie, I love you for more than just your face. But darlin' let me see the scars you're hiding. Underneath your makeup. Show me what it is that you're afraid of. Why you hide behind your pretty things" Doug whispered in her ear as she gave a small shake of her head. He ran his hands through her hair as her lips curved into a smile.

"I don't know. Old habits die hard, I guess" she answered quietly, turning to look him in the eyes. He pulled her once again into his embrace. Evie gladly responded, hiding her head in his neck, wet tears still falling from her eyes.

"I love you, Evie. And I mean that. You're beautiful with or without makeup. I don't want your face. I'm not attracted to only your beauty. Your intelligence, curiosity, big heart and ambition, I love it all. Makeup doesn't define Evie. Your heart defines you" he said as she nodded and slowly let go.

"My mother. She always told me I was never worth anything without my makeup. She used to say I wasn't pretty enough to land a prince so I have to use makeup to cover up my imperfections. She always said I got my father's features. In order to be the fairest of them all, I need makeup. And she believed that's where she went wrong by giving birth to me. I hindered her beauty and for that reason she had to use makeup. There's no way I could be a princess without a beautiful face" Evie said hopelessly. These revelations hurt Doug as he knew that nothing the Former Queen had told her daughter was true.

"I'm sorry that you were told that, Eves. It's okay, I don't blame you, but beauty does not mean success and in some cases like Chad, beauty defines a relationship. But between you and I and most everyone in Auradon, that's not true. Natural beauty is the most amazing. And don't you know that even roses die. And nothing's really made to last forever. Even beauty fades, you can't always rely on, pretty things" Doug explained as she looked up, her eyes wide.

"Really?" She asked wiping her tears away as he nodded.

"Really" he confirmed as she smiled widely and took his hands in his.

"It's just all my life I've dealt with training to be beautiful, flirty, vain and housewife material, just to get a prince. I believed in superficiality. I hid my feelings and the things I truly loved. Then I came to Auradon and Chad had caused me to hide myself even further" Evie said as he now wiped a few stray tears away and caressed her cheek.

"Red wine and vanity. Your fashion fantasies. That smile can't hide your tears. That boy can't hide your fears" Doug said as Evie slowly felt her broken and vulnerable heart piercing back together again. The memories of her mother's disappointment and her feelings of failure began to fade as everything Doug had complimented her on, slowly replaced it.

"I understand Evie. I used to change myself to fit in with everyone else, especially since I'm not considered to be royalty. It's better when it hurts. It shows you what it's worth. So cue the masquerade. Inside your still afraid. It temporarily cures the pain. It makes you feel like you're okay, but really it's just a hiding place" She nodded as she started crying again. "Princess, what's wrong?"

"It's just you understand. You aren't shaming me, telling me to forget about it or change. You're just so supportive and sweet. I've never felt this way before about anyone else. Thank you" she said as Doug smiled wiping more of her tears away and pecked her cheek.

"So darlin' show me all the the scars you're hiding. Underneath your makeup. Show me what it is that you're afraid of. Why you hide behind your pretty things. And don't you know that even roses die. And nothing's really made to last forever. Even beauty fades, you can't always rely on, pretty things" Doug said as they sat comfortably in each other's embrace. Evie never knew that love could feel this good and the gnawing in her heart became a rapid beat of affection that she couldn't help when Doug was around. A feeling tailored to his presence was something Evie would continuously begin to crave. It all began in that moment, the a spark of a new feeling for them both.

"What goes up, must come down, You fly too high, you're gonna hit the ground. Too many words, they don't explain. So we hide behind our pretty things" Evie said quietly as Doug hummed in agreement. "No one ever seems to understand how hard it is to not want to let people see the real you. I tried, but I guess you saw through me"

"I did and I still love you. I knew that it would be hard to find your confidence again, but I care for you and I don't want those radical ideas to eat away at you" Doug said as Evie stood up and turned off her sewing machine. Doug frowned in confusion as she took his and and without words, led him out of the dorm room to the school grounds. The sun had just finished setting a few of the stars became visible. Evie sat on the grass and smiled up at the sky.

"Eves? Your skirt will get grass stains" he pointed to the blue leather bottom. She shrugged her shoulders, pulling him down to sit. Laying on her back, she held his hand as he did the same. He turned his head to face her as she gave him a kind smile.

"Pretty things will one day be ruined. You said it yourself. Nothing really lasts forever. But the moon shines so bright. Behind that moon there is the dark side. The part no one ever really sees. The part that is hidden beyond it's beautiful aura. That's the same with me and you and the entire world. Behind the laughter and behind the smiles. And I've got my scars that I'm hiding too. Darling, tell me what you're hiding. And I'll show you what I'm hiding. Behind all my pretty things" Evie said as Doug turned to face her a wide smiled on his face.

Nothing was said as Doug brought her hand up and kissed it, setting it back down with a gentle squeeze. Evie gave a squeeze back as they watched the moon with careful eyes as their hidden scars disappeared into the pretty things in the sky.